Archaeologists have recovered Chinese porcelain and European-made goods from a recently discovered 18th-century shipwreck off the coast of Norway, government and museum officials said on Monday.

The items found in the remains of the unnamed sailing ship included tightly stacked blue-and-white porcelain bowls, goblets, textiles, grain and parts of chandeliers, the Norwegian Maritime Museum said.

The ship, believed to have sunk in the mid-1700s, was found by the owner of a salvage firm in the Skagerrak Strait off southern Norway at a depth of about 600 m.

"This find is not only extraordinary, it's also of considerable scientific value and demonstrates an important technological advancement in underwater archaeology", said Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, Norway’s minister of climate and environment.

The vessel’s origin and destination are unknown, but work is continuing to learn more about the wreck and its cargo.

(reuters, max)

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he had spoken with Hezbollah through intermediaries and secured a pledge from the Iran-aligned Lebanese militia that it would stop attacking Israel.

Trump said he had also spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that Israel had agreed to pull back any troops preparing to attack southern Lebanon.

No US president has ever spoken with Hezbollah, with or without intermediaries. The group is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.

“I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, and there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back”, Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

“Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop.”

A Lebanese official told Reuters that Hezbollah had informed the US, through Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, that it was willing to halt attacks on northern Israel in exchange for Israel sparing Beirut and its suburbs from strikes.

If sustained, the arrangement could mark the first significant easing of tensions since the start of the most serious Israeli-Lebanese confrontation in months.

The fighting in Lebanon has been the broadest spillover of the Iran war. It has displaced more than 1.2 million Lebanese through Israeli strikes and evacuation orders since 2 March, when Hezbollah began firing rockets and drones into Israel in support of Iran.

In the latest advance, Israeli troops on Saturday seized the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle and a strategic ridge in southern Lebanon, the military said. That came a day after one of the heaviest days of Hezbollah fire toward northern Israel since the April ceasefire, prompting school closures and restrictions.

(reuters, max)

The Italian government wants to push for the international unit of electrical potential to be renamed from volt to volta in honor of physicist Alessandro Volta, one of the most important scientists in the country’s history, Politico reported.

The proposal is backed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s cabinet, which is presenting it as part of a wider effort to strengthen Italy’s scientific heritage on the international stage.

Volta is best known for inventing the voltaic pile, a forerunner of the modern battery, and for discovering methane. His name later became the basis for the volt, the SI unit of electrical potential. Italian officials argue that the current form is an anglicized version of the scientist’s surname and should be replaced by the authentic Italian form, volta.

Alessio Butti, Italy’s undersecretary for digital technology, discussed the proposal in Paris with Annette Koo, director general of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). Butti argued that several scientific units named after historical figures have retained their full surnames, such as hertz, newton and watt.

According to the Italian government, the proposal is not merely a linguistic adjustment, but a symbolic recognition of a scientist whose discoveries had a major impact on modern technology and electrical engineering.

Any change would first have to be approved nationally before Italy could seek support from other BIPM member states. The proposal could be put to a vote at the General Conference on Weights and Measures, which is scheduled to meet from 13 to 15 October 2026.

(max)

The Swedish government has announced changes to immigration rules that have drawn criticism in recent years over so-called “teenage deportations”, Euronews reported. The measures are intended to prevent young people who have grown up in Sweden from being ordered to leave the country after turning 18, even when their parents have residence permits.

Under the previous system, children of asylum seekers could be granted only temporary residence permits. After turning 18, they had to prove their right to remain again, and some were ordered by the authorities to leave Sweden even though their families were allowed to stay.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s government, together with the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, has now agreed to ease the rules. The age at which migrant children are treated as adults will be raised from 18 to 21. Those who have already been ordered to leave the country will also be given a new chance to obtain a residence permit.

Migration Minister Johan Forssell described the reform as an important step that would allow young people to continue studying, working and integrating into society. However, he stressed that Sweden would continue to enforce a “very strict asylum policy”.

(max)

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has rescinded the appointment of US official Sheng Li as deputy director-general because of delayed payments by the United States, Reuters reported.

Li had been due to take up the post in July, but the ILO said that would no longer happen. The organization said the appointment could not proceed unless the US paid its outstanding dues. It added that Washington could regain its position as the largest contributor in assessed contributions once the arrears were settled.

Three diplomats told Reuters that the ILO was asking the US to pay at least $50m of the amount owed. The dispute adds to uncertainty over the UN agency’s finances and possible job cuts.

The United States has traditionally held the deputy post at the ILO as its largest donor, funding 22% of its budget. As of 29 May, the US owed 257m Swiss francs, or about $328m, including arrears from 2024 and 2025, according to the organization’s figures.

(reuters, bak)

Mediators are due to resume disarmament talks with Hamas in Egypt on Thursday as they consider alternatives to US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip, according to two Arab diplomats involved in the process.

The talks have so far stalled mainly over Hamas’s refusal to accept the Peace Council’s disarmament proposal. The movement says Israel must first meet the terms of the first phase of the agreement. Both sides accuse each other of violating the ceasefire.

One option under consideration is to begin reconstruction in parts of Gaza that remain under Israeli control. Those areas were originally meant to account for about 53% of the territory, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week ordered Israeli control to be expanded to 70%. Reuters and AP have also reported the 70% figure.

The proposal is intended to encourage Palestinians to leave Hamas-controlled areas by offering them temporary housing. However, it remains unclear whether Gazans would be willing to live under Israeli occupation or whether Hamas would resist such a move.

The selection of a new Hamas leader is also complicating the negotiations. The movement says no final decision on disarmament can be taken before its internal elections are completed.

(timesofisrael, bak)

A Czech court has ruled that German far-right activist Sven Liebich can be extradited to Germany to serve a prison sentence. The decision is not yet final, as Liebich retains the right to appeal.

Liebich was sentenced in Germany to 18 months in prison for multiple offenses, including incitement to hatred, insult, trespass and defamation. The sentence was upheld by German courts in 2024 and 2025.

The case drew particular attention after Liebich legally changed gender to female under Germany’s Self-Determination Act, which came into force in November 2024, and adopted the name Marla-Svenja.

The move prompted debate over whether Liebich should serve the sentence in a women’s prison. Critics have warned that the law could be abused. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt cited the case as evidence of weaknesses in the legislation.

Liebich failed to report to prison in August 2025 and later left for the Czech Republic. Czech police detained Liebich near the German border in April 2026.

At a hearing in Pilsen, Liebich objected to extradition, saying there were fears of being placed in a men’s prison. The Czech court ruled that the conditions for extradition to Germany had been met.

(reuters, max)

Emily O’Reilly, until recently the European Union’s ombudsman, has strongly criticized the European Commission over its lack of transparency, warning that such an approach could undermine public trust in democratic institutions.

Speaking at a Brussels press conference to launch the Democracy27 initiative, she described the Commission’s handling of information as “elitist and anti-democratic”, according to Politico.

O’Reilly, who served as European Ombudsman from 2013 to 2025, said she had often been “frustrated” that the Commission ignored her office’s recommendations and acted “time and time again” as if “the people couldn’t be trusted with certain information”.

One of the most prominent disputes concerned the European Commission’s contracts for Covid-19 vaccines. O’Reilly said her recommendations on the issue had been “legally sound” and “valid”, but were still not acted on.

The criticism comes as NGOs, media outlets and former EU commissioners have long accused the Commission of a culture of secrecy under President Ursula von der Leyen. Critics say she has centralized decision-making and acted too unilaterally.

The European Commission did not immediately respond to Politico’s request for comment.

(max)

The UK has signed new contracts worth £36m ($48m) with Thales to supply hundreds of Lightweight Multirole Missiles to its armed forces.

The missiles have been used by British forces to shoot down drones during operations in the Middle East.

Defense Secretary John Healey said the deliveries would “continue to keep the UK and our partners more secure in the Middle East and beyond”.

The Ministry of Defense said deliveries would begin in the coming months.

(reuters, bak)